


no eulogy from me, just a smile on my face.

by kaidoripropaganda



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Angst, Battle, F/M, TW for blood, this is what happens when I see beautiful cosplayer pov tiktoks on my fyp guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaidoripropaganda/pseuds/kaidoripropaganda
Summary: alternate universe in which akane duels gundham instead of nekomaru and is the victim of the chapter four case.
Relationships: Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, sondam is mentioned and implied as well but not enough for a tag
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	no eulogy from me, just a smile on my face.

**Author's Note:**

> oh my gosh the way I ran to google docs, a special shout out to the amazing, uber canon, incredible @greensplat on tiktok who does an amazing nekomaru and who gave me permission to do this idea in the form of writing after I saw their tiktok pov on the same plot. I hope you all enjoy it and it was very fun to imagine this since most of my fics are akanidai post canon/simulation xx [ title from “caught like a fly” because I have always liked it for gundham and chapter four. ]
> 
> a few plot changes: lets say for this fic and sake of argument that somehow nekomaru is still a human being and not a robot and also gundham’s motive remains the same but he specifically targets akane because she is the one suffering most and the one who would agree to such a thing because she feels guilt and rage from being in this funhouse situation. also because I adore pain, let's say that since akane is not there now (since she had been the one to hear the phone ringing/noise of fuyuhiko calling) that the boys have no clue what's happening!

* * *

Akane dreaded the funhouse.

That statement should go without any kind of explanation but it was the only thing she could stomach thinking about, she was without food and that motive alone could make her snap. The ultimate gymnast probably would have already been out of rage if it had not been for Nekomaru constantly reminding her that it was not worth becoming the blackened over, that they would find a way out of this hell somehow.

He had always stuck by her besides the first investigation when Fuyuhiko had pulled her away immediately, demanding that the two become partners much to Akane’s confusion and Nekomaru’s curiosity though he never questioned a thing and simply did his work and checked around with Hajime who seemed to be also falling into the pressure, they all were, some simply hid it better than others.

_ “Akane, don’t do anything reckless,” _ he would warn though his tone the past few days had been much more soft, the team manager worried that she was truly tinkering the edge of insanity without food. She would be unresponsive for a few seconds before she would let out a sigh and demand that they fight so she could forget her surroundings. He wanted to say no, her physical state was deteriorating but the brunette had grown more and more clingy and dependent on him as some kind of emotional crutch, whether she knew that or not.

_ “Let’s fight old man, you better not say no to me, _ ” she would whimper, tugging his sleeve weakly as he would turn and look at her, their eyes meeting as he realized that she was extremely serious about this daily endeavour. Sometimes, without realizing, his hand would gently rub her shoulders as if to remind her that she was still here, still with him and that she could keep on fighting. 

He wished he could say that he didn’t understand her obsession and grip with food but he did and it only terrified him both further knowing that Akane could possibly do something in a fit of rage or unintentionally. When she had opened up to him about the ordeal and her home life he was surprised to say the least but he understood. He was respectful and promised he wouldn’t bring it up though the gymnast already knew he was far too soft and respectful to make jokes about that kind of stuff.

The second day had proved difficult, she had collapsed on the ground after trying to size the team manager up for some training though he refused the moment that she had started to black out. He kept a good eye on her though he was always protective and worrisome; he wanted to know for sure she would make it out of this funhouse alive.

_ “I don’t think I can do this much longer…”  _

The statement led her into a frenzy, Nekomaru staying quiet until she had begun to spiral, out right admitting that she would rather die here than try to do this for another few days. She refused to believe that this was going to be the end of her and as did Nekomaru who tried to grasp her hand. She seemed to respond to physical cues, it always seemed to bring some type of life back into her eyes.

The final straw had been broken when she had admitted that she had been thinking about doing that Final Dead Room that Monokuma had clearly put in place just to further encourage this killing game farther and farther. The team manager scoffed before he looked down at the shorter woman who’s eyes had seemed to turn into a spiral of delusion. 

_ “Akane I won’t let you die,”  _ he would repeat sternly, his hands on her cheeks softly as if to snap her out of her current state. She shook her head, as if she had been innocently daydreaming about before she snapped at him, yelling at him to not touch her. He apologised, his hands dropping before she frowned. 

Flustered, the gymnast grabbed hold of his hand, interlocking their fingers as she looked in the opposite direction, not wanting to show the red flush across her cheeks that had surfaced though she knew that barking at him when he had meant well wasn’t the right thing to do in a situation like this. Brief and various images of her siblings and mother back home had controlled her brain during their time in the Funhouse but she still had Nekomaru and that mattered.

_ “Thanks…” _ she had whispered, unable to make eye contact though she heard Nekomaru chuckle and sigh in relief. He had stared at her, promising that she would make it out with him, that he would not let this athlete die at the hands of her one, understandable, weakness.

An odd noise had awoken her.

She curiously exited her cottage, unable to truly track down the exact noise though she continued to stumble down the Grape House stairs, not even bothering to look at the time, who knew if these clocks were even any bit useful. The noise sounded like something otherworldly though she wasn’t sure if this was  _ actually  _ the case or if her mind had completely begun to disintegrate.

Akane noticed that the further and further she was led that the quieter the noise became.

Wallowing steps had led her to the tower, she was confused before she noticed Gundham standing there before her. He turned carefully as he held his arms in front of his chest, crossed as he looked at the gymnast standing before them. In any other situation, Akane would have just turned her back but here? She was cornered and she was out of options. 

She chuckled.

“Look at you all dressed for battle,” she whispered with a grin across her lips as Gundham seemed to laugh in response to her comment, everything was going smoothly according to him wasn’t it? He had lured the one person who had been feeling the same way he had; he noticed her growing silence, her wandering expressions and had overheard her and Nekomaru speaking earlier the previous day.

“Akane Owari, I knew that someone as keen with smell would sense my subtle intentions of battle,” he responded as she stepped back, cracking her fists as she held her own hands up and near her face ready to fight the breeder who seemed intent on killing her where she stood. “Your blood will drench the foundation of my empire!”

She groaned though she felt the most alive she had been in days.

“There you go talking all weird,” she grumbled. 

“Don’t go easy on me because I’m a girl Tanaka,” she yelled fiercely before adding that she was not going to hold back from him, they both seemed to understand one another. They both had someone they wished to protect and both seemed to have mutual respect in one another concerning the situation: no matter who came out victorious in battle, both would still most likely perish. 

“Let’s see if you really have the guts and skills you say you do, we’ll find out quickly whether or not you’ve been just bluffing,” she added, intentionally egging him on though he seemed to chuckle in response to her comment. He hoped even in their final moments before disaster that she would still respect him. That was her entire goal this entire trip was it not? To fight the most formidable opponents. There would never come another chance for a battle as exhilarating as this and they both knew so.

“Let us examine what the ultimate gymnast will bring to the catalyst of this upcoming morning, you will not cower beneath me!”

Akane scoffed, chewing at her tongue before a sense of relief seemed to rush through her; her last words before the slaughter would begin and her life may come to an end. She knew in the back of her mind that this would destroy her siblings, wherever they might be, that this would  _ destroy _ Nekomaru. 

The subtle second of thoughts had entered her brain, that she could run and escape and not end her life like this, that she could keep her promise she had made to Nekomaru, to Fuyuhiko who had begged her to calm down and simply express her feelings. She held her hand to her heart for a brief second before her eyes gazed back to the breeder who awaited her decision.

She laughed.

_ “Bring it on Tanaka.” _

Their spar could not have lasted longer than ten minutes, Akane could pinpoint the exact moment that she had lost.

She knew Gundham would release those damn hamsters sometime, she had been confused at first as she threw a punch at him, hitting him right in his gut as he stumbled back before he told her to watch her step. Akane was confused, blinded by the thrill of the fight before she felt herself slip and collapse to the ground.  The gymnast could hear a hamster squeak, a rope near her feet as she sighed, she knew that this was all planned. He had the timing and the resources while she had the courage and determination; she was clearly more physically capable than the meager breeder but his talent and will was not to be tested. 

Gundham looked down at her, the gymnast weakly lifting her head as she noticed his painful expression. She chuckled as she bawled her hands into a fist attempting to stand before she realized her legs were tied together. “Tanaka, don’t get all mushy,” she spat at him, refusing to let the thrill of battle turn sour. 

She waited a few seconds before she gasped, unable to describe the nerve that he had just hit. Akane turned on her side, suddenly seeing and feeling the blood pouring from her chest. She held her hands to her previously white shirt that now was seeping through with her own external injuries. “Dammit, I lost again,” she cried out softly as Gundham sighed.

He dropped a clean, large hammer beside her body, already beginning to tamper with the scene as it suddenly clicked that he had gotten all of these weapons and extra items from that damn Final Dead Room. Of course someone like  _ him _ would successfully achieve such a thing; it was not a surprise but it was frustrating that she let her hunger and rage completely block out any of that.

She had lost to him and his weapons. 

The gymnast wished she could hit herself. She had been beaten by the one thing that she refused to believe had any advantage, that she believed was weak and lazy compared to fighting purely with your fists or own body. She could almost laugh at the blatant irony that she was going to die at the hands of not only Gundham, who always bickered with her and her out of place comments, but some kind of weapon.

Akane had not even seen the weapon she had been struck with, she assumed it was some kind of knife, something sharp enough to cut her chest open as she groaned, unable to stop the blood from pouring out. Her vision became hazy as he glanced at her, his expression remorseful which the gymnast did not understand.

“Kill me,” she growled.

Gundham turned, confused.

“If you have any respect for me you’ll kill me instead of leaving me like...this…” she spoke as she coughed up blood, staying on the floor as the breeder walked over and looked down at her red eyes; he had never seen someone as headstrong and confident as Akane cry or crumble yet he was there, above her, watching the fall out. “Don’t tell me you think I’m going to just accept the fact you and your stupid Hamsters killed me.”

For once the breeder had not responded to a cynical remark about his four Dark Devas, they had done their task even if Gundham certainly had not left this battle without a few scars and marks. He had taken a few punches, definitely would bruise his thighs however his outfit made this an avoidable easy clue to their battle, she had fought back no question.

“You wish to depart this world so soon?”

Akane scoffed, annoyed by his trivial questions.

“Asshole, you’ve already killed us both, you’re gonna get found out,” she spit, Gundham froze as he looked down at the ground with wires in his palms as he made eye contact with the dying classmate. “Let me die,” she repeated carefully.

The breeder did not understand why a sense of guilt overwhelmed his sense but she deserved to have her wishes respected and he needed to move quickly to make sure that this crime scene would become nothing short of a melting pot of confusion and insanity; he was on a timed schedule considering the alarm in Strawberry House he had set up.

“Very well,” he mumbled, scarf over his mouth as he held a knife to her throat.

Why was he hesitating? 

“Do it, don’t be an idiot,” she responded as she kept direct eye contact before he lowered the knife and stabbed her once again though this time it was near her stomach, he knew that the blood flow would weaken her out in mere seconds, no more than a minute. She kept her mouth shut, refusing to scream, to look weak in her final moments as her vision began to go black.

Her hand dragged across the floor, bloodstains all across the tower as she sighed and began to hope that Nekomaru wouldn’t be angered by her decision, by her recklessness. He had saved her life, it was time she repaid the favour. She felt her eyes water, unable to describe why her heart always seemed to race the moment he entered her thoughts. 

She took one final sigh of relief, glad that everyone, especially Nekomaru, would make it out of the funhouse. 

“I’m sorry Nekomaru…”

_ I could never win a fight. _

* * *

“Let’s go,” the brunette spoke up as he led Sonia and Chiaki to the door, unable to comprehend why Monokuma had been forcing them to attend this Tai-Chi though they all knew exactly why; to make them weaker, to further strengthen the motive.

Hajime had stood before the door of Grape Tower, his body slowly collapsing before him before he saw a sight that made every fiber in his body freeze. 

_ The door to despair always opens suddenly…  _

His heart dropped, unable to process what was before them. 

Akane laid dead, cold in front of the three; her body on its side with her hands stained with blood, laying near her chest with a blank yet saddened expression across her face, they noticed immediately the pillar that had tumbled beside her. There were so many details but the only thing that the three could focus on was their classmates' deceased figure.

“No!” Sonia screamed at the top of her lungs, all three bolting as fast as three starved teenagers could as they raced to her body refusing to believe it was real, that another killing had happened before they finally saw all of the blood gathered in her chest, her shirt; her mouth. 

Hajime fell to his knees, tearing up instantly as Sonia had already burst into tears refusing to believe that the strongest person in their class besides Nekomaru had died so cruel; Chiaki shared the same sentiment though she didn’t cry. She stood silent and processed the situation for herself as that damn Body Discovery Announcement rang throughout the entire floor.

“Akane…” were the only words that Hajime managed to spit out, his throat dry and his eyes watery as he looked down at the body as he looked away, unable to face the fact that she was truly gone. She had been a ray of light in the group, even if some of her timing and comments were odd, she was determined and had seemed to be in a more peaceful state of mind since Nekomaru had returned to them. 

Sonia looked up for a brief moment as if she had heard something strange from far away though Chiaki shared the same confusion. Neither of them knew exactly what sound was ringing but it was faint and consistent. 

“T-this... she is truly dead?” The princess muttered breathless before Hajime nodded.

Hajime remembered the few good moments they had had with one another, she always offered to spar or teach him gymnastics tricks once he had expressed interest. He remembered that she taught him how to dance for Ibuki’s recovery party. She had an impressive skill set when it came to choreography though perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised.  Akane had always mentioned how she was forced to take multiple ballet and dance classes to keep her skill set above foreign or domestic competition and make her floorshows or routines all the better. She seemed bored by the subject of her own talent but Hajime knew that this had come from her past, her childhood.

His mind wandered to her siblings she always spoke about with affection, not wanting to imagine what she might have been thinking in her final moments. He had suddenly remembered Nekomaru and became only twice as tense.

Hajime groaned, looking down at her cold body.

_ We’ll find who did this. I promise. _

* * * 

“What…”

Fuyuhiko slammed the phone in the lounge shut, frustrated that none of the people in the other hall were answering as Kazuichi worked steady and fast on the elevator that had been broken down. Nekomaru, Nagito and Gundham sat in the chairs before they had all jumped hearing the familiar chimes.

_ “A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed the Class Trial will begin!” _

Nekomaru winced.

“S-seriously?” The Yakuza screamed beside them all, unable to comprehend why this had happened again though Nagito was the first to say something rational, bringing up the fact that this meant that either Hajime or one of the girls in Grape House had died. Nekomaru’s mind wandered aimlessly, he  _ knew _ Akane wouldn’t die like this right?

_ Right? _

They all stood up as Kazuichi ran into the wall, yelling that he had fixed the elevator and that he had also heard the announcement play. The five rushed to the elevator desperate to go to the other building after being strangely locked out for a few hours. Soda whined, praying that Sonia was safe and sound and that she had merely discovered the body.

For once, Gundham agreed with him.

“The dark lady will be safe, I trust that she will return to us alive and healthy,” he hummed as the mechanic spat, annoyed that he always used such a cutesy nickname for the one woman he had taken a  _ strong _ liking to. What was worse was that she seemed to love it, completely head over heels for his own sworn rival.

Fuyuhiko impatiently tapped his foot as Nagito tapped Kazuichi’s shoulder and asked to see the compass that he had previously given him. No one wanted to even question why the lucky student had set up such an experiment though with his intelligence and impressive detective work they all assumed it was something having to do with the Funhouse.

The door opened and they began their search, noticing the lobby was empty. 

Nekomaru checked the bathroom just in case as they split up before they heard a familiar voice.

_ “Gundham!” _

They all turned, Kazuichi whipping his head back as he saw Sonia run into Gundham’s arm, pleading him to come with her as they all followed, the princess stuttering and unable to even get a word out as the breeder held her hand comfortingly, trying to soothe the blonde who took then to the door of the tower with saddened eyes.

The door opened as they saw Hajime and Chiaki standing beside the body.

_ Then that means...  _

“No…” Nekomaru had said out loud.

Fuyuhiko froze as he covered his mouth, unable to speak before he forced himself to.

“I don’t know who did this...but this...is pretty fucked up!”

The team manager took a few steps forward as he then realized that his own personal nightmare had come alive; that Akane Owari’s dead body was laid out right in front of him. Hajime and Chiaki stepped out of the way as they could feel Nekomaru’s presence. He fell to his knees weak, unable to truly understand what was happening.

That body discovery announcement had been for Akane.

The one person he promised to protect, the one person that he hoped would make it out alive beside him, the person who always challenged him to battles and trained beside him; the one woman he had become infatuated with. 

“Why,” he yelled, his frustration breaking every bone in his body as he felt himself begin to sob, he was far more emotional than she had been and she never shamed him for it, he had never seen Akane truly break down and he was forever grateful that she was always happy or at least somewhat thankful in his presence. 

He grabbed her hand as if to comfort himself, to imagine that she was still with him.

“Damnit Owari,” he cried, crumbling as he stared more and more at her injuries, she had clearly been ruthlessly murdered and he had never wanted to resort to violence more than when he was looking down at the one person he had grown to care for, to  _ love _ . She had died far too soon, she had died before he could even admit his own emotions and feelings towards her.

He could now only imagine her reaction, all his memories had become a closed picturebook and now there was nothing new, nothing remained, nothing would ever happen between him and Akane again. She had died right before he had even gotten a chance to say what he had so desired to say.

It was unfair.

This game had become personal.

He lowered his head, his tears falling right on her chest where she had seemed to have bled the most. The team manager wished this was a cruel joke he could escape from, that she would somehow stand up, punch his shoulder and cackle as she told him that this was simply a prank she had pulled as payback for not training with her when she had been so meager and frail.

“I couldn’t protect you, I couldn’t keep our promise damnit,” he yelled.

Nekomaru felt a hand on both of his shoulders, he could tell purely by instinct that Hajime and Chiaki had reached over and tried to offer some kind of comfort or human emotion; to show that he was not alone in his feelings of sadness but they would never understand. They were all classmates, sure but everyone knew that there was always something special, something implied between the loud, boisterous and strangely kind team manager and the confident, fiery and loyal gymnast.

“I will never forgive who did this to you,” he swore, praying that somehow she could hear that.

_ You meant everything to me.  _

He sat and cried by her body for a few more minutes until the tears drained from his eyes and his entire face had turned puffy and red, none of them had said a word except for Chiaki and Nagito who had begun to investigate the surrounding perimeters of the lobby.

Nekomaru stood, giving her one final longing glance. 

He would give everything he had for this investigation, for this trial; he wanted to prove that he could be of far better use than some had taken him down for. He was not going to be silent and simply back out of argument. Everyone seemed to understand that without saying a word, that he would be the one to avenge Akane and keep her always near and dear.

The team manager sighed, looking down.

_ I will keep on living for you and you alone. _

**Author's Note:**

> hope you all enjoyed, tumblr as always is @pxkopxkoyama, comments much appreciated.


End file.
